Adley Rutschman hit a two-run homer to back 5 2/3 strong innings by rookie right-hander Grayson Rodriguez to lead the Baltimore Orioles to a 4-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.
Ryan Mountcastle went 2-for-4 with a run while Rutschman went 1-for-3 with a walk for the Orioles, who ended a season-high, three-game losing streak.
Rodriguez (2-0) limited the Rays’ potent offense to just two runs — both on solo homers — on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Mike Baumann got the final out in the sixth. Yennier Cano pitched a scoreless seventh after relieving Baumann, who departed after issuing a leadoff walk to Manuel Margot.
Cano was relieved by Felix Bautista in the eighth after allowing a two-out single to right by Luke Raley, who took second on Kyle Stowers’ fielding error. Raley took third on Bautista’s wild pitch before Brandon Lowe walked, but Bautista struck out Taylor Walls to end the threat.
Bautista worked around consecutive walks to lead off the ninth to collect his eighth save of the season.
After Wander Franco’s homer gave the Rays a 1-0 lead in the first inning, the Orioles took the lead for good in the third.
Gunnar Henderson led off with a triple to right before scoring two pitches later on Jorge Mateo’s groundout to second. After Stowers struck out and Cedric Mullins doubled to left, Rutschman blasted Zach Eflin’s cutter over the right field wall for a 3-1 lead.
The Orioles extended their advantage in the fourth. After Mountcastle singled and Adam Frazier walked to open the inning, Austin Hays’ single to left scored Mountcastle to make it 4-1.
Walls’ solo homer over the center field fence in the fifth inning pulled the Rays within 4-2.
Eflin (4-1) allowed four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk in six innings before being relieved by Chase Anderson to open the seventh inning.
Franco went 2-for-5 and Raley was 2-for-3 with a walk for the Rays, who lost for just the third time in 12 games.
–Field Level Media
